Spicy Tuna Burgers – 7sp

When we were on our honeymoon in Sri Lanka we ate A LOT of Sri Lankan food so by the time by got to the last day, we were ready for a change. We stumbled across the most beautiful café with a view over the ocean and watched a turtle playing in the sea whilst we poured over the fantastic menu. I ended up going for a tuna burger which is something I had never had before and I immediately knew I would be having it again. It was such a change from a meat burger, full of flavour and fantastically healthy. So this week, when I fancied a new burger, I thought it was time to give one a go myself. The end result was lovely, really fresh and flavoursome and so low in points.

I had one of these burgers (0sp) and served it with an Aldi brioche bun (5sp and so worth it!) and 2 small slices of avocado (15g for 1sp). I also added a dollop of chilli mayo (1sp – recipe below), salad leaves and tomato. I served it with chilli slaw and butternut squash wedges on the side all for a grand total of 7sp. Delightful. You could have two burgers if you fancy and this would only take the total up to 8sp (provided you don’t have an extra bun). These burgers would be equally as nice with Warbie thins (for 3sp instead of 5) if you wanted to save points but I love these brioche buns as they really make you feel as if you aren’t missing out!

I have included all of the smart point information for the accompaniments below as you may like to pick and choose what you add depending on how many points you have left for the day.

Ingredients

For the burger

Makes 4 burgers – 0sp for 1 burger or 1sp for 2 (Flex)

300g tuna steak, raw

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated

1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1 spring onion, very finely chopped

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1 lime

Large handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped

Accompaniments

2 x Aldi or Tesco Brioche Buns (5sp each) or 2 x Warbie thins (3sp each)

60g avocado, cut into 8 slices

1 tomato, sliced

1 tbsp chilli mayo (see recipe below)

Spicy slaw (see recipe below)

Butternut squash chips (0sp)

For the chilli mayo – 1sp per person for up to half of the portion but will feed up to 4

4 tbsp extra light mayo

½ tbsp. ketchup

1 tsp chilli sauce (I used Sriracha)

Juice of ½ a lime

For the slaw – 0sp per person for up to half of the portion but will feed up to 4

2 carrots, sliced into matchsticks

½ red cabbage, finely sliced

4 spring onions, sliced into matchsticks

Handful of coriander, chopped

Juice of ½ lime

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

Method

Begin by getting your butternut squash wedges in the oven first if you are having them.

Then, take your tuna steak and chop into small pieces with a sharp knife. You want them to be nice and small so the burgers don’t fall apart while you are cooking them. Pop into a large bowl with the garlic, ginger, chilli, spring onion, coriander, sweet chilli sauce and soy. Add the zest of 1 lime. Mash together with your hands and then shape into 4 nice burger patties. You really need to mash everything and compact it together but they should come together nicely. Pop onto a plate, cover with cling film and then pop in the freezer for 10 minutes (or fridge for 15-20 minutes) to let them set.

Whilst the burgers are setting, make the accompaniments. For the chilli mayo, pop everything into a bowl and mix together. For the spicy slaw, do the same. Easy peasy. Pop in the fridge whilst everything else is cooking.

Five minutes before your butternut squash chips are ready you can start cooking the burgers. Take a frying pan or griddle pan, spray with 1kal and heat until piping hot. Pop the tuna burgers in the pan and cooking for 1-2 minutes on one side. Squeeze over the juice of ½ lime whilst cooking. Carefully (they may be fragile) flip over and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side, squeezing over the lime whilst they are sizzling.  I prefer fresh tuna like this served pink in the middle so 1 minute per side is more than enough for me. If you prefer yours cooked all the way through 2-3 minutes per side should do it. Once cooked, remove the burgers from the heat and begin to assemble the burger.

Add a slick of chilli mayo to the bottom of your bun, top with salad leaves or a spoonful of spicy slaw, then your burger, then another slick of chilli mayo. Top with a slice of tomato and your avocado slices and then add the top of the bun. Serve with the chilli slaw and butternut squash wedges on the side with the remaining chilli mayo for dipping.

Enjoy!